Activity Professionals

Activity professionals are used to leading games

2011-10-17T14:25:00.001-07:00

Activity professionals are used to leading games. This January, plan word games for them. Design a crossword puzzle using phrases from their line of work. Create a word search containing terms that relate to your facility, and so forth. Rollout a word game a day during Activity Professionals Week. Give the winner of each a prize, such as a “Creative Minds, Caring Hearts” T-Shirt. At the end of the week,hold an appreciation luncheon for the activity department. Raffle off “Creative Minds, Caring Hearts” Embroidered Full-Zip Fleece Jackets.

Help residents trace their hands on paper and cut the images out

2011-10-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Help residents trace their hands on paper and cut the images out. On each hand, have the residents write the name of an activity professional who goes above and beyond. Put the headline “Pat On The Back” at the top of a bulletin board, then arrange the paper cutouts underneath. Award “Hands That Serve, Hearts That Care” Lapel Pin Badge Holders or “Together We Soar” Stationery Folios to the people featured on the board.

Add extra excitement to bingo

2011-10-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Add extra excitement to bingo. Create your own cards that have names instead of numbers in the squares. Use the first names of employees at your facility. Assign five names to the letter B, five to the letter I, etc. (For example, you would call out “N Fred” or “G Wilma.”) On each card, arrange the names in a slightly different order. You also will need a way to randomly draw your letter/name combos. Perhaps write them on slips of paper, then pull the slips out of a “Creative Minds, Caring Hearts” Batista Stainless Steel Travel Mug . Give an item from the Bingo Bonanza Prize Pack to the resident who wins each game of bingo.

“A” Is For…

2010-11-05T07:57:00.002-07:00

Tap into the creativity of your residents to give your activity employees a thoughtful gift. Ask residents to use “ACTIVITY” as an acronym to describe the wonderful attributes activity professionals bring to the facility. Get residents started by providing them with ideas, such as “A is for their awesome attitudes” and “C is for the compassion they show.” Give each resident a “Residents: The Heart Of Our Home” Comfort Grip Pen to use to write. Read aloud to your activity professionals what residents came up with. Then award activity staff “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Sticky Pad Portfolios.

Cast Your Vote

2010-11-05T07:57:00.001-07:00

Plan a unique awards ceremony to recognize the special qualities your activity professionals bring to the workplace. Several weeks in advance, come up with categories they can be judged in, such as “Most Likely To Make Residents Laugh” and “Most Likely To Be Smiling.” Type up a “ballot” listing the categories and names of your activity staff members. Make copies to distribute to residents and non-activity staff. Have them vote for the activity employee who deserves each award. Tally up the votes and design certificates. Be sure all activity professionals get one.
Pass the certificates out during a special ceremony, and include an Activity Professionals Jotter Pen & Photo Frame/Mirror Key Tag Gift Set or an “Activity Professionals Celebrate
Life Every Day” Mini Organizer With Pen with each presentation.

Special Attention

2010-11-05T07:56:00.002-07:00

Set up manicures, pedicures, and massages to brighten the day of your activity employees. Contact a local beauty or massage school to see if any students can offer their time. (Students often will volunteer for the sake of getting experience.) Add to the pampering by giving each activity staff member a cozy “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Hooded Zipper Sweatshirt or “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Fleece Jacket to wear.

Near And Far

2010-11-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

Let activity staff know they’re appreciated, not just at work, but everywhere they go. Each day of the week, give them a gift that serves as a reminder. Pick out items like the “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Sip ‘N’ Go Tumbler & Straw and Cell Phone Pouch/Wallet with Carabiner they can use outside of your facility. Distribute the gifts as your employees end their shifts.

We Salute You

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Dedicate an event to volunteers who assist your activity staff. Organize a patriotic-themed luncheon and decorate the dining area in red, white, and blue. Cook hot dogs, hamburgers, and other all-American foods. Put a “Hands That Serve, Hearts That Care” Lapel Pin at each volunteer’s place setting. Have activity professionals wait on everyone while wearing Activity
Professionals Bib-Style Aprons.

Community Connection

2010-11-05T07:54:00.001-07:00

Hold a food drive in honor of activity professionals, and invite all staff, volunteers, residents, and residents’ families to donate. Create posters and flyers announcing the drive, and collect nonperishable food items all week. On the last day, gather your activity professionals and give each an “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Polo Shirt and an Activity Professionals Verve Vertical Lunch Bag & Salad/Veggie Container Combo. Have them put on the polo shirts, then lead them on a trip to a local food pantry to deliver the donated food. Take a group photo; send it to your local newspaper or put it in your facility’s newsletter.

Food For Thought

2010-11-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Promote the “Fruits” food group and honor your activity professionals with a fruit-themed breakfast each morning of the week. Pick one fruit per day to highlight and come up with a fun slogan to go with it, such as Activity Professionals Have Great A-‘peel’ for bananas. On that day, serve up banana nut muffins and banana pancakes. Each day, pass out a food-related gift to your activity staff, such as “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” 3-Section Plates or “Caught Making Residents Smile”.

Making A Match

2010-11-05T07:49:00.002-07:00

During National Activity Professionals Week, give residents a blast from the past while providing your activity staff with a challenge. Ask at least a dozen residents for their baby pictures. Scan those photos into your computer to create a quiz. Place the photos on one side of the page and the residents’ names on the other. Pass copies out to your activity staff members, and have them match the pictures with the names. Present to the person who gets the most right a “One Person Can Make A Difference” Full-Color Clipboard. Give the other participants “One Person Can Make A Difference” Deluxe Die-Cut Bookmark & Pen Gift Sets.

Turn The Tables

2010-11-05T07:49:00.001-07:00

Help activity staff enjoy their favorite activities during the week. Make a list of general activities you think they’d like to do, such as shopping or eating chocolate. Stock up on gifts to coincide with the choices. “Caught Making Residents Smile” Laminated Recycled Totes can be used for shopping and “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Stainless Steel Tumblers could be filled with chocolates. Let activity employees select from the options you’re offering and give them the appropriate gifts.

Out Of The Ordinary

2010-11-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

Allow activity professionals to put their sense of humor to good use. Challenge each one to come up with two or three silly activities that residents could participate in. An example is using ketchup and mustard to create a painting on a plate. Then read the ideas aloud to residents. Let them vote with a show of hands for the silliest activity. Once voting is complete, give the activity employee who had the top idea a “Caught Making Residents Smile!” Gift Pack. Give all other activity staff “Caught Making Residents Smile” Contour Grip Flashlights.

Gratitude Is Always In Season

2010-11-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Give thanks for great activity professionals by hosting a Thanksgiving-style dinner for them, their families, and residents. Pull out the Thanksgiving decorations that were used two months earlier and, along with “Activity Professionals Celebrate Life Every Day” Event Posters, use them to decorate the dining area. Ensure that turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce are on the menu. After dinner, call your activity professionals up to the front of the room and present each with a “Thanks For All You Do” Gift Bag Of Appreciation.

You’re A Gem!

2010-11-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Add some light to the cold month of January. Along with Celebration Balloons, decorate your facility with clear Christmas tree lights. Have residents and non-activity staff decorate star-shaped paper cut outs with gold and silver glitter. Hang them throughout the hallways and lobby. Keep with the “sparkling” theme by giving activity employees “Activity Professionals Rock” Women’s Cut V-Neck Rhinestone T-Shirt & Tote Bag Combos.

Excellent Choice

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Because everyone has different tastes and interests, allow activity staff to select what gift they’d like to receive for Activity Professionals Week. Come up with a list of several items they can choose from, such as the “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Deluxe Lunch Bag & Appreciation Snack Pack combo and Vivid Pocket Tote & Umbrella Gift Sets. When the order comes in, take time to personally give each item to the person who picked it out.

Family Ties

2009-11-20T12:09:00.003-08:00

Spend a memorable evening with your activity professionals and volunteers, their spouses and children. Plan things to do for them and the residents, such as playing checkers, creating construction paper snowmen to hang in the windows and making pizza. End the night by presenting “Activity Professionals Brighten Lives” Badge Holders to staff and “Volunteers: Our Most Valuable Resource” Lapel Pins to volunteers.

Timely Service

2009-11-20T12:09:00.001-08:00

Recognize your activity staff and volunteers for the hours they dedicate to improving the lives of residents. At the beginning of Activity Professionals Week, hold a breakfast meeting for them. Serve up healthy breakfast items, such as whole wheat bagels and fruit. After the meal, present each person with a Years Of Service Lapel Pin depending on how many years they’ve been with your facility. (You can stock up on the Lapel Pins for future events.) Also give each person a “Caring Is Always In Season” 2010 Monthly Planner to use until next year’s Activity Professionals Week.

The Home Team

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This year, promote a sense of unity between your activity professionals with a sports-team-related theme. Prior to Activity Professionals Week, find out what team–college or professional–is most popular in your area. Then round up items such as banners, pom-poms and posters featuring the selected team and use them to decorate a common area of your facility. During your appreciation week, hold a celebration for residents and employees in the decorated room. Give each activity staff member an Activity Professionals Baseball-Style Jersey or an “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” T-Shirt & Cap Combo. Introduce your “activity professional team” during the event and have everyone cheer.

Winter Warmth

2009-11-20T12:06:00.002-08:00

Give your activity staff members a break from the chilly and blustery January weather. Every morning of your recognition week, bring a cup of hot cocoa, coffee or tea to each activity professional. Take some time to sit down, talk to each one and thank him or her for being such an important part of your facility team. On the last day of the week, instead of going to your activity staff with beverages, have them come to your office. Surprise them with Embroidered Roll-Up Blankets or Warm Appreciation-To-Go Gift Packs to help keep them cozy throughout the remainder of the season.

Making The World Better

2009-11-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

These days, much emphasis is placed on “going green” and reducing, reusing and recycling. Tie these concepts into Activity Professionals Week. Work with residents to organize a presentation where they tell activity professionals and volunteers about the positive impact they have at the facility. Create a large banner or poster that reads “You Make Our Environment Friendlier” and have it hang behind the mresidents when they speak. At the conclusion of the event, have residents hand out “Making A Difference In The Lives Of Others” Insulated Travel Mugs and Eco-Friendly Tote Bags to those who were honored. Both items can be reused!

Present Preparation

2009-11-20T12:05:00.001-08:00

While planning Activity Professionals Week celebrations for your staff members, also start preparing for their birthdays. Add “birthday presents” to the list of items you order so you’ve got a card and gift ready when someone’s special day comes along. Include the Happy Birthday Card Assortment Pack and Activity Professionals Embroidered Hooded Zipper Sweatshirts in your order.

Decorate And Celebrate

2009-11-20T12:03:00.001-08:00

Surprise your facility’s activity director with a colorful and fun office at the beginning of Activity Professionals Week. The night before it starts, hang up “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Event Posters and Balloons in his or her office. Encourage other activity staff members and volunteers to arrive early the next morning. When the decorations are discovered by the activity director, have everyone gather around the office and clap for him or her. Present the director with an “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Classic Briefcase Bag.

Office Upgrade

2009-11-20T12:02:00.002-08:00

Provide your activity professionals with the means to spruce up their work spaces. This year, give them the tools for a “Desktop Makeover.” Every day of Activity Professionals Week, allow each activity staff member to select one new item to add to his or her office supplies. Have “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Desktop Carryalls and Sticky Pad Portfolios be among the items to choose from.

Memorable Meal

2009-11-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

Be sure to include “honor the efforts of volunteers” in the agenda for Activity Professionals Week 2010. Plan a luncheon for your volunteers and invite activity staff to Emcee. Several days prior, have activity professionals and residents make paper hands and hearts for an arts and crafts activity. Use the cutouts to decorate the room where the lunch will be held. After the meal, have the activity professionals share heartwarming stories about each volunteer. Then present each volunteer with a “Hands That Serve, Hearts That Care” Pewter Key Tag in a “Hands That Serve, Hearts That Care” Mini Tote.

Fashion Sense

2009-11-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Hold a fashion show as part of your Activity Professionals Week festivities. Have residents model several styles of activity professional apparel, including “Property Of Activity Professionals Team” T-Shirts and “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Embroidered Polo-Style Shirts. After the show, let your activity professionals choose what shirt they liked best. Allow them to make the shirts part of their uniforms.

New And Improved

2009-11-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Assist your activity staff in following through on any New Year’s resolutions to become healthier in 2010. Each month, plan an hour-long program about a health-related subject, such as ways to eat better or add more exercise to your daily schedule. Start your year-long wellness campaign during Activity Professionals Week with a program about walking. Pass out “Activity Professionals Put The Fun In Life” Top-View Pedometers and Stainless Steel Water Bottles so your activity professionals can keep track of their steps and stay hydrated. Also give out a list of great places to walk indoors in your community.